Why the upcoming stretch for the Broncos isn’t as daunting as it seems

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos’ cakewalk start to the season is over. Denver ate all of the cake as their strolled to a 3-0 start against the winless Giants, Jaguars and Jets.

Now the real test for the Broncos begins. Unless the Lions don’t win a single game until Week 14, there are no winless teams remaining on Denver’s schedule.

The Broncos go from facing teams with a combined 0-9 record in the first three weeks of the season, to teams with a combined 8-4 record in their next four games.

But while Denver’s schedule over the next month no doubt is incredibly more difficult than what they’ve faced to start the season, it’s not as daunting as people think. Here’s why.

Week 4 vs. Ravens

As long as the Ravens have Lamar Jackson, they’ll be a very good team. But there are cracks in Baltimore’s foundation that make them beatable.

Baltimore’s feared defense isn’t what it used to be. At least not through the first three weeks of the season. The Ravens have given up the seventh-most points in the NFL and are allowing teams to drop an average of over 28 points per game on them.

Additionally, while Lamar is still an elite quarterback, he and the offense are trending in the wrong direction. In the past two seasons combined, the Ravens—not the Chiefs—scored the most points in the NFL. This year, while not bad by any means, they are the 11th-best offense in the NFL and Jackson is averaging one passing touchdown and interception per game. They’ve also been decimated by injuries, specifically at running back, which is a key part of their new-school offense.

While Baltimore comes to Denver with a winning record, it took a conversion on 4th-and-19 followed by a record-breaking 66-yard field goal from Justin Tucker as time expired for the Ravens to beat the winless Lions in Week 3. On the road in that game, Baltimore only managed to score 19 points.

Although the Ravens beat the Chiefs in Week 2, they lost their other road game of the season as they fell to the Raiders in Las Vegas in Week 1.

They’ll once again be on the road in Denver on Sunday.

Finally, if anyone can slow down Lamar, it should be the NFL’s top-rated defense in front of a fired-up Mile High crowd.

Week 5 @ Steelers

Much like Lamar Jackson, Ben Roethlisberger is averaging one touchdown and one interception per game through the first three weeks of the season. The only issue is, Big Ben has zero threat of running the ball, while Lamar is one of the most elusive runners in the entire game.

That’s not a recipe for success for a team that relies heavily on the passing game. And because of that, after pulling off the upset and beating the Bills in Week 1, the Steelers are on a two-game slide. They face the Packers on the road in Week 4, before hosting the Broncos. Denver could very well be going into Pittsburgh as they ride a three-game losing streak.

Additionally, both of the Steelers’ losses have been at home. Pittsburgh has not been able to protect Heinz Field as they’ve lost at home by an average of 11.5 points per game, including falling to the Bengals 24-10 on Sunday.

If Roethlisberger continues on the pace he’s on, his 79 passer rating would be the third-worst of his career and his 35.5 QBR would be the second-worst. To make matters worse for the Steelers’ offense, despite investing a first-round pick in Najee Harris, Pittsburgh has the worst rushing attack in the NFL.

On the flip side, the Steelers’ defense is still good, but not elite. Their 22 points per game allowed is the 12th-best in the league.

Finally, last year, the Broncos almost beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh with Jeff Driskel playing the majority of the game. This year, the Broncos will have a massive upgrade at the most important position in sports with Teddy Bridgewater leading the charge.

Week 6 vs. Raiders

Under Jon Gruden, the Raiders aren’t strangers to hot starts. The past two seasons, the Silver & Black have started 6-4 and 6-3 before imploding down the stretch and missing the playoffs. This year, they’re 3-0.

If Derek Carr continues his impressive start, the Raiders won’t implode this year. Through three games, Carr is averaging a whopping 401 passing yards per game. History, however, will say he won’t be able to keep that up. If Carr has a sizable drop-off in play, Las Vegas won’t be able to count on their running game as Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake, their top two backs, are averaging 3.4 yards per carry and 2.1 yards per carry respectively.

If Carr maintains his impressive play, no team in the entire NFL is better equipped to slow him down than Denver with their stellar pass rush led by Von Miller and the league’s highest-paid defensive backfield.

Giving up an average of 24 points per game, Vegas’ defense is right in the middle of the pack. However, where the Raiders have struggled on offense and defense is in the red zone. Both units are in the bottom-third in the league, with their defense giving up a touchdown every single possession opposing teams have entered the red zone. Denver’s defense is the best red-zone team in the NFL. That is a formula for the Broncos to hand them a loss.

Finally, the Raiders have struggled playing in Denver. Over the past five seasons, the Broncos and the Mile High air are 4-1 against their division rival.

Week 7 @ Browns

Forget everything said above, this game is a nightmare. Not only are the Browns an incredibly well-rounded and stacked team, but this game is on the road and on a short week.

It’s hard enough to win road Thursday night games and then throw in the fact that the Browns have a chance to contend for the AFC crown this year makes it one of the most difficult games on the schedule.

But it’s not completely hopeless.

So far, the Browns only loss was a four-point defeat to the Chiefs in Kansas City in Week 1. Not a bad loss at all. But their two wins have come against the Texans and Bears, who have a combined 2-4 record. Much like Denver, Cleveland hasn’t beat a winning team yet.

In the three weeks leading up to this game, they could struggle and fall to the 1-2 Vikings, 2-1 Chargers and/or the 3-0 Cardinals.

This could be the first game of the entire season that the Broncos are underdogs.

Overall

Although there’s a legitimate argument to be made the Broncos can have a winning record over the next four games, thanks to their 3-0 start, they don’t have to go undefeated. They’ve built themselves a comfortable cushion with their hot start.

A 2-2 split over the next month would keep Denver right in the thick of the playoff conversation and the AFC West with a 5-2 record. In fact, even if the Chiefs win out in that time period, they would only be tied with the Broncos.

Additionally, after this difficult stretch, the Broncos get to come home after a long week and play the Taylor Heinicke-led Washington Football Team.

Finally, the Broncos are riding a three-game win streak going into this much tougher stretch. Vic Fangio said that momentum will be “great” to have for Sunday’s game against the Ravens.

“We’ve maxed out these first three games record wise, and we’re all focused on trying to get to 4-0,” the head coach stated on Monday.

On the surface, Denver’s next month looks incredibly daunting. But not so fast. The Broncos have a chance to come out with a winning record.